Railroad-switch.



M. A. WALTHER.

RAILROAD swrrcn.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1910. RENEWED MAY 18, 1911. 1,009,871 Patented N0v.28, 1911.

BSHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. A. WALTHER.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 16, 1910. RENEWED MAY 18, 1911. 1,009,871

a Home 8 wilbwmow M. A. WALTHER.

RAILROAD SWITCH. APPLICATION TILED JULY 16, 1910. RENEWED MAY 18, 1911.

1,009,871. Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

MAX A. WALTHEIRI, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

nooasvr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Application filed July 16, 1910, Serial No. 572,323. Renewed May 18, 1911. Serial No. 628,130.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX A. WVALTHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroadswitchesg and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railroad switches and has special reference to a switch of the stub type.

One object of the invention is to improve the general form and construct-ion of devices of this character.

A second object of the invention is to provide a switch which will be of such nature as to operate under all conditions of weather and which will never be clogged by snow or ice.

A third object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement of operating parts for a switch, the arrangement being such that the switch may be locked in either opened or closed position.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide a lock controlled by the position of the bar which operates the switch, said bar being capable of revolving about its axis as well as of longitudinal movement.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in general of a switch provided with stub points and a novel construction of controlling mechanism for such a switch.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the track on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 showing the switch rod and other parts connected therewith. Fig. 1 is a detail partial section on the line 1- 1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the pivot end of one of the switch points, the view being a plan View. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the part shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a certain bell crank lever used in connection with the switch rod, other adjacent parts being shown. Fig. 8 is a detail view taken in sec tion on the line 88 of Fig. 3.

Supported on the usual ties 10 are the main line rails 11 and the turnout rails 12. Spaced from the rails 11 and 12 and in alinement with the rails 11 are other main line rails 13. Between the ends of the rails 13 and the rails 11 and 12 are switch point supports 14 which are firmly secured to the ties. Each of the supports 14 is provided with a recess 15 in its under side and leading from this recess through the top of the support is an opening 16. The supports 15, furthermore, are provided with arcuate guide slots 17 which are in alinement with the openings 16, the upper end of said openings terminating in said guide slots. In each of the guide slots 17 is a chair 18 provided with rail engaging lips 19 and these chairs are connected by means of a link 20. The switch points each consists of a rail 21 which is so proportioned that the height of said rail added to the height of the support 14 will equal the height of the ordinary rails 13. In cross section the rails 21 have a head portion which conforms to the sides and upper face of the heads of the other rails both in shape and size. Below this head portion the rails 21 have a broadened base, this construction being clearly shown in Fig. 3. At the ends of these rails or points 21 which abut against the rails 13 said points have the heads cut away as shown in Fig. 5 and the base is slotted as at 22 to engage the web of the respective rail 13. This slot 22 is tapered so as to permit the points 21 to have movement laterally with respect to the remaining rails at the ends adjacent the rails 11 and 12. The rails 21 being received in the chairs 18 and held beneath the lips 19 will be moved whenever the link 20 is moved. These rails are also connected intermediate their ends by other links 23.

In order to hold the link 20 and actuate the switch points said link 20 is provided with a depending fork 24 which engages between collars 25 fixed upon a link 26 form ing part of the switch rod. This link 26 has pivoted at each end a bar 27 and these bars are held in journal boxes 28 secured beneath the supports 14. Between the boxes 28 of each support a sleeve 29 surrounds the respective bar 27 and this sleeve is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 30 and an upstanding lug 31. On each of the bars 27 is a key lug 32 which passes through the respective slot 30 so that as the bar is rotated the lug will cause the respective sleeve to rotate. The lug 31 is positioned centrally of its sleeve and the ends of each lug are spaced from the sides of the respective recess 15. Depending from the bottom of each switch point 21 and passing through the slot 16 is a stop 33 which has a notch 34 in one side. Secured within the respective recesses 15 are plates 35 the edges of which extend into the notches 34 so that the plates serve as means to prevent the disengagement of the points from the supports 14. This stop 33 extends downward adjacent the respective bar 27 over which it is located and when the lug 31 is in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the stop engages against said lug when the point is either in open or closed position so as to prevent any movement thereof until the lugs 31 are moved out of j the way of the stops 33. In order to accomplish this movement one of the rods 27 extends well beyond its support 14 and on this extended end is a rock arm 36 which is connected by means of a link 37 to a latch lever 38 working over a quadrant 39. In order to move the switch rod composed of the members 26 and 27 in a longitudinal direction there is provided a plate 40 extending laterally out from the support 14 on the same side as the link 37 and on the outer end of this plate is pivoted a bell crank lever 41 which has a forked end 42, the arms of the fork being in the form of circular disks.

Between these arms fits the rod 27 and said to move the points to connect the rails 11 and 13, thus placing the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3. The first thing that is done is to grasp the latch lever 38, release the same from the quadrant and move it to such position as to rotate the switch rod about one quarter circle. This will move the lugs 31 out of the paths of the stops 33. The

latch lever 38 is then re-locked, thus holding the switch rod in this position. The latch lever 45 is then grasped and released from the quadrant 46 and thrown to the right from the position shown in Fig. 1. This will move the fork 42 toward the track and this fork will carry with it the bar 27 which will communicate its motion to the rest of the switch rod. By means of this movement the collars 25 will move the fork 24 in the same direction and this will cause the link 20 to move the chairs 18 and points 21 to the position shown in Fig. 3. The latch lever 45 is then released and the latch lever 38 again grasped and moved back to its original position, thus bringing the lugs 31 into position to lock the stops 33 as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

It is to be noted that all of the working parts which can be jammed by the action of snow or ice are protected beneath the supports 14 and that the switch points themselves will keep the upper surfaces of said supports clear of ice and snow.

There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

Having thus described the invention, whatis claimed as new, is

1. In a switch operating means, a pair of movable switch points, a rotatable switch rod operatively connected to said points, means to move said rod longitudinally, other means to'rotate said rod, a stop on each point adjacent said rod, a lug carried by said rod and rotating therewith, said lug engaging against saidstop when the rod is rotated to one position and passing clear of said stop when the rod is rotated in a second position.

2. In a switch operating means, a pair of points, a support for each of said points on which said points slide, said supports each having a recessed under side and an opening extending through the top from said recess, a rotatable switch rod journaled in said supports and having portions passing through said recesses, lugs in said recesses rotating with said rod, stops depending from said switch points through said openings to points adjacent said switch rod, an operative connection between said rod and points, means to rotate said rod, and other means to move said rod longitudinally.

3. In a switch operating means, a pair of points, a support for each of said points on which said points slide, each of said supports having a recessed under side and an opening extending through the top from said recess, said supports also having arcuate guide slots into which the upper ends of said openings open, chairs sliding in said guide slots and secured to said points, a link connecting said chairs, a depending yoke formed on said link, a depending lug formed on each of said points and provided with a notch in one edge, said depending lugs projecting through said openings into said recesses, a plate in each recess having an edge engaging the notch in the respective lug, a rotatable switch rod journaled in said supports and having portions passing through said recesses, lugs in said recesses rotating with said rod and adapted to lie in the paths of the lugs depending from the points when the switch rod is rotated to one position and to move clear of said depending lugs when the switch rod is rotated to another position, collars on said switch rod engaging the sides of said depending yoke, means to rotate said switch rod, and

other means to move said switch rod longitudinally.

4. In a switch operating means, a pair of points, a support for each of said points on which said points slide, each of said supports having a recessed under side and an opening extending through the top from said recess, said supports also having arcuate guide slots into which the upper ends of said openings open, chairs sliding in said guide slots and secured to said points, a link connecting said chairs, a depending yoke formed on said link, a depending lug formed on each of said points and provided with. a notch in one edge, said depending lugs projecting through said openings into said recesses, a plate in each recess having an edge engaging the notch in the respective lug, a rotatable switch rod journaled in said supports, and having portions passing through said recesses, lugs in said recesses rotating with said rod and adapted to lie in the paths of the lugs depending from the points when the switch rod is rotated 30 to one position and to move clear of said depending lugs when the switch rod is rotated to another position, collars on said switch rod engaging the sides of said clepending yoke, a rock arm on one end of 35 said switch rod, a latch lever and quadrant, a link connecting said rock arm and latch lever, a bell crank lever having a forked end engaging said switch rod and bearing on one side against said rock arm, a collar fixed 4 upon said switch rod to bear against the opposite side of the forked end of the hell crank lever, a second latch lever and quadrant, and a link connecting the second latch lever with the bell crank lever.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

MAX A. WALTHER.

Witnesses BENJAMIN WVALTI-IER, ERNEST A. WALTHER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

